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[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

(----------------)
[VO-NAT]

Falling more than three- thousand feet in 20 seconds...
That's how fast a plane went down before its fatal crash in Lexington last month.
Officials have released their first report on the crash.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And hundreds take to the streets of Roanoke to raise money in the fight against cancer.
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
(ad lib weather)
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Time to wake up-- News 7 Mornin is next.

[11Plane-Crash]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-26 TC1:50:03]
[GRAPHIC=Crash Invest.]
A report released by the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane that crashed in downtown Lexington last month fell more than three thousand feet in twenty seconds.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lexington/August 31;]
The N-T-S-B says eight minutes before the crash, the pilot radioed the Roanoke Airport Air Control Tower to say his plane was losing altitude.
Witnesses say the plane spiraled downward and came apart in mid-air.
They say the wing fell off first.
The front section of the plane, including its engine and the propeller, was buried in the sidewalk.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[SS=none]
The medical examiner says neither the pilot nor his passenger had alcohol or illegal drugs in their systems when they died.
The N-T-S-B does not expect to determine a cause for the crash until next year.

[Plane-Crash]

The survivors of the Cuban plane crash are free, for now.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Miami, FL;]

Six of them are now with relatives in Miami.
Immigration officials have granted them parole, which allows them to stay in the U-S and apply for residency.
The remaining three survivors, a six- year- old boy and his hospitalized parents are also expected to receive parole.
The F-B-I says the flight was not a hijacking.
But the Cuban government says a state-owned plane was stolen, and calls it an act of piracy.
(------------)

[Helene-Preps]

The Sunshine State is bracing for more tropical rain today..
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Panama City, FL;]

The latest system, Tropical Storm Helene is expected to dump up to eight inches of rain on parts of the Florida panhandle.
In preparation for the storm, shelters are open in the area.
And some schools and government offices are closed today.
Helene is bringing winds close to 65- miles- per- hour.
But for now, forecasters don't believe the storm will strengthen into a hurricane.
(------------)

[11Crown-Jobs]

If it's true every dark cloud has a silver lining, the skies are clearing up for some Lynchburg workers this week.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

Last Thursday, Crown Simplimatic laid off 150 employees to trim costs while filing for bankruptcy protection.
But Lynchburg's unemployment rate is less than two percent, which means many businesses are frantically searching for workers.
Many companies were on display at a job fair for Crown employees yesterday.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:59:30]
[IN Q=We find ourselves]
((CONNIE STANEK/SOCIETY OF H.R. MANAGERS: WE FIND OURSELVES HAVING TO GO TO NON-TRADITIONAL METHODS TO RECRUIT.. EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE WHAT WE TERM THE EMPLOYER OF CHOICE.))
[SUPER=01-Connie Stanek/Society of H. R. Managers]
[RUNS=10]
[OUT Q=employer of choice.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Crown Simplimatic workers handed out resumes, filled out applications and did some networking yesterday afternoon.
The company says some of the laid- off employees have already found new jobs.
(------------)

Hundreds of people walked two miles around South Roanoke last night.
The money raised will be used to fight blood-based cancers like Leukemia and Lymphoma.
Cancer survivors carried white balloons.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 2:12:54]
[IN Q=You Never]
((YOU NEVER KNOW FROM DAY TO DAY WHEN YOUR LIFE'S GOING TO BE TOUCHED BY THIS. WHETHER IT BE YOU HAVE CANCER YOURSELF OR YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE CANCER.))
[SUPER=01-Martha Brinkley/Cancer Survivor]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=loved ones have cancer.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Six other Virginia cities and hundreds of communities across the country also held walks last night.
(------------)

[11Mason-Dixon]

George Allen is ahead by seven points in the U-S Senate race.
(XXXXXXXXX)
[TAKE PINNACLE PAGE ONE ]
Our latest Mason-Dixon/News 7 poll of likely voters shows Republican Allen with 48 percent over Democrat Chuck Robb's 41 percent support.
Eleven percent are still undecided.
The silver lining for Robb is that he's closed the gap three points over our July poll.
[PINNACLE PAGE TWO]
From a regional standpoint, Robb is winning Northern Virginia, 52 to 38 percent.
The candidates are dead even in Hampton Roads, at 43 percent.
[PINNACLE PAGE THREE]
But everywhere else in the state, George Allen's on top, including in the Roanoke and Southwest region.
He leads 54 to 35 percent.
In Lynchburg and Southside, Allen's up ten points over Robb, with a 49-39 split.
(------------)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=none]

Allen continues to have a big lead among men and white voters.
Robb has a big lead among black voters, and finally has eked out a six point advantage with women.

[6Senate-Race]

Crime is down.
So it's NOT what most Virginia voters will be thinking about as they head to the polls in November.
But it's a big block on the resumes of U-S Senate Candidates George Allen and Chuck Robb.
(------------)
[ROLL CAMPAIGN OPEN]
[VO-NAT]
In our latest weekly report on the senate race by the issues,
Ellen Qualls takes a look at their records and promises on crime.
(------------)
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Both had]
[SUPER=203-Richmond/January 1994; :22 ]
[SUPER=241-Ellen/Qualls/equalls*wdbj7.com; :37]
[SUPER=201-Sen. Chuck Robb/(D) U.S. Senate Candidate; 1:37 ]
[RUNS=2:18]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7.]
(( Both had a really bad day as governor.
Chuck Robb, in 1984, presided over the largest death row escape in U-S history.
George Allen presided over a loaded gun found in a typewriter, just a few paces from the execution chamber.
But Robb's days as governor saw a fairly liberal parole policy, and an increase in violent crime.
[sot 12/20/94]
((GEORGE ALLEN: reign of terror ))
[runs=:]

In 1993 and '94, George Allen rode an electoral mandate, Allen abolished parole and got a "truth in sentencing" bill passed that keeps criminals behind bars longer.
It may be his most enduring legacy as governor-- and has mostly gotten good reviews.
With it came an expensive prison building program that slightly overshot -- leaving some prison beds empty today.
Allen says that's because the crime rate dropped faster than expected with his leadership.
His critics say the drop came nationwide.
As governor, Allen pushed into law measures that treated increasingly violent juvenile offenders more like adults.

But his juvenile prison system didn't keep up -- prompting Justice Department probes after he left office.
Now, as a Senate candidate, Allen is more narrowly focused: on fighting illegal drugs and building a national DNA databank, modeled after Virginia's.
As Senator, Chuck Robb voted to put 100-thousand new police officers on the streets, and is campaigning on adding another 50-thousand.
But what Robb's gotten the most traction on is gun control-- a big issue in the more urban areas.
Jim and Sarah Brady side with Robb.
[sot ak-47 video]
((CHUCK ROBB: I KNOW WHAT AN AK-47 CAN DO.... ))
[runs=: ]

Allen won the scorn of some of his former friends in the gun lobby by saying he'd now vote to continue the assault rifle ban he'd once opposed as toothless.
If you don't what works and what doesn't, and just take it by the numbers, the year Chuck Robb left the governor's office, the violent crime rate per 100 thousand Virginians was 306.
The rate when Allen left office was slightly higher, at 325.
Ellen Qualls, News 7.))

[Health-Check]

In medical news, if you're feeling down a new study says get up and get active.
Doctor Dave Hnida has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Dr. Dave Hnida/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:11]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]

((ON CAM
GOT A BAD CASE OF THE BLUES? TAKE TO THE ROAD.
VT=VO
A STUDY FROM DUKE UNIVERSITY FINDS EXERCISE WORKS JUST AS WELL AS
ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION AT RELIEVING CLINICAL DEPRESSION- AND WORKED
BETTER AT KEEPING THE DEPRESSION FROM COMING BACK. AND IT DIDN'T TAKE
MUCH EXERCISE TO LIFT PEOPLES SPIRITS- WALKING, JOGGING, CYCLING, JUST
THREE TIMES A WEEK - FOR ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES A POP DID THE TRICK. NOW
WE KNOW CLINICAL DEPRESSION IS CAUSED BY A PROBLEM WITH CHEMICALS IN THE
BRAIN. EXERCISE MUST DO SOMETHING TO ADJUST THE LEVELS OF THOSE
CHEMICALS TO NORMAL.
VT=VO
NOW- ON TO SCREENING EXAMS FOR WOMEN- YOU'VE BEEN TOLD MAMMOGRAMS AND PAP
SMEARS ARE IMPORTANT- BUT EVIDENTLY THE WORD IS NOT GETTING OUT ABOUT
ROUTINE BONES SCANS TO SCREEN FOR OSTEOPOROSIS. THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY REPORTS JUST 2% OF AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE HAD A
SCAN DONE.
ON CAM
FINALLY- HOW ABOUT A BIRTH CONTROL PILL THAT ONLY GIVES YOU A MENSTRUAL
PERIOD EVERY 3 MONTHS? A NEW PILL CALLED SEASONALE IS GOING THROUGH
CLINICAL TESTING RIGHT NOW AND SHOULD BE ON THE MARKET WITHIN 2-3 YEARS.
THAT'S A LOOK AT SOME OF THE DAYS TOP HEALTH STORIES. IM DR DAVE HNIDA
FOR CBS NEWS.))

Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

An accident on Interstate 81 claims the life of a Harrisonburg woman.
Witnesses say the car split when it hit a tractor-trailer traveling in the opposite direction.
(---------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]

Florida is awaiting the arrival of another tropical system..
Tropical Storm Helene could bring up to eight inches of rain along the Florida panhandle today.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And Virginia Tech transfer hopefuls may have to wait a semester...
The university is turning away all spring applicants because this year's freshman class was 10 percent larger than expected.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Friday, September 22nd .
[ANCHOR=Shannon]

[2-Helene-Preps]

Hurricane watches are up for much of Florida's west coast as Tropical Storm Helene moves in from the Gulf.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Panama City, FL;]

Forecasters say Helene will mostly be a "rain event", dumping as much as eight inches of rain.
The storm's packing highs winds of nearly 65- miles- per- hour, but is not expected to grow into a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center says Helene is expected to cause storm-surges up to five feet above normal tides.
There are no mandatory evacuations, but shelters are open throughout the Florida panhandle.
Some schools have canceled classes for today.
(------------)

[1181-Ax]

A woman from Harrisonburg was killed on Interstate 81 after she lost control of her car.
Witnesses say the car split in two yesterday when it hit a tractor-trailer traveling the other direction.
Kate Weidaw has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sgt. Paul Dulaney/State Police; :15]
[SUPER=@Kate2; :25]
[RUNS=:44]
[OUT Q=News 7, Botetourt Co.]
((The south bound lanes of interstate 81 near Buchanan looked more like a parking lot than a highway Thursday afternoon.
Around 4 o'clock 72 year old Juanita Clague from Harrisonburg was driving north when she lost control of her car.
[SOT 17:47:55]
[INQ=]
((SGT. PAUL DULANEY: WITNESSES STATED THE VEHICLE STARTED SWERVING AND THEN SHOT ACROSS THE MEDIAN INTO THE SOUTH BOUND LANE AND STRUCK THE TRACTOR TRAILER HEAD ON.))
[OUTQ=]
[RUNS9]
The Mercury then rolled and split into two. Police say Clague was killed instantly. The driver of the tractor trailer was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital with head injuries that do not appear to be life threatening. It took officials over three hours to clear the scene before traffic was back to normal. Kate Weidaw News7 Botetourt County.))

[Safety-Improvements]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=00-31 TC46:30]
[GRAPHIC=81 Safety]
VDOT hopes to reduce the number of fatal accidents that happen on the interstate with funding from a six year transportation plan.
(------------)
[VO-NAT 00-30 1:06:05]
[SUPER=03-Montgomery Co./August 22]

Yesterday, the Commonwealth Transportation Board approved nearly 1 billion dollars in funding for projects on interstate 81 and Routes 58 and 220.
37 and a half million dollars will upgrade the interstate by installing median guardrails, additional rumble strips, and message boards.
Some folks believe improvements are needed but it's the drivers who have to be careful.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 44:42]
[IN Q=if they're]
((WILLIAM SANDERS/EAGLE ROCK RESIDENT: IF THEY'RE GOING TO WIDEN IT AND PUT THREE LANES ON IT YOU COULD PUT FIVE ON IT AND YOU'D STILL HAVE THE SAME MESS.))
[SUPER=01-William Sanders/Eagle Rock Resident]
[RUNS=6]
[OUT Q=same mess.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

VDOT will hold a public hearing on the plan on October 5th at the Wyndham Hotel in Roanoke.
The transportation board will make a final decision on the plan October 19th and if it's approved it will go into effect November first.
(------------)

The widow of Georgia trucker Robert (Ga-rard) Garrard went to court, hoping to prove that either negligence or defective equipment was to blame.
Now a federal judge has ruled it was neither.
Judge Sam Wilson found no proof of any defects in the "fifth wheel" and no evidence of negligence on the part of those who stacked the piggy-backed tractors at the Volvo terminal in Dublin.
(------------)

[11Airport-Tower]

Roanoke Regional Airport is getting a new air traffic control tower.
The Federal Aviation Administration received the go-ahead for it.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=04-Architect's Rendering;]

The new tower will give controllers a birds eye view of Woodrum field. The structure will rise almost 200 feet, the equivalent of a 15-story building with antennas on the roof.
Yesterday, the Roanoke City Planning Commission gave its approval.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 10:17]
[IN Q=It gives the controllers]
((IT GIVES THE CONTROLLERS A LOT BETTER VISIBILITY THAN WHAT THEY HAVE TODAY. AND IT WILL PERMIT US TO DEVELOP SOME LAND THAT CURRENTLY WE CAN'T DEVELOP BECAUSE OF WHERE THE TOWER IS LOCATED.))
[SUPER=01-Jacqueline Shuck/Roanoke Regional Airport]
[RUNS=:10]
[OUT Q=where the tower is located.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Kim]
[GRAPHIC=None]

The new tower will cost the F-A-A about eight and a half million dollars.
Construction should begin in February and the new tower could be ready for service in early 2003.

[11TICKETS]

Ever since the Black Coaches Association bowl was washed-out almost a month ago, fans have been asking about refunds. The answer...you will get your money back.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg/File Tape]

The Gazelle Group, the producers of the game, announced that it WILL give refunds for tickets. But you do need your ticket stubs.
They say all requests for ticket refunds should be sent before November 15,
(XXXXXXXX)
[WIPE TO PINNACLE - REFUND ESS 100]
along with the ticket stub and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address on your screen.
If you have questions about the refunds, you can also call the group.
[TAKE FS WEB PAGE ESS 4562]
OR you can access the B-C-A Bowl's web site through the webwatch section of our site at WDBJ-7-dot-com.
(-------------)

Siding with Gore, President Clinton is considering releasing some oil reserves.
But experts wonder whether the extra barrels will arrive in time to help consumers heat their homes this winter.
(------------)

[11Pumpout-Boat]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=morn]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=00-28 TC1:44:10]
[GRAPHIC=Smith Mt. Lake]
At Smith Mountain Lake, a Royal Flush isn't a winning poker hand- it's a traveling sewer system.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Smith Mtn. Lake;]
The Royal Flush is a new pump-out boat, the only one on a Virginia lake.
It runs alongside people's boats to collect the boats sewage, so they don't empty their tanks into the lake.
Residents spent 11-thousand-dollars of their own money to buy the 38-thousand-dollar boat -- the rest of the money came from Bedford County, A-E-P, and the Health Department.
Eventually they'd like to make dumping a crime.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:31:40]
[IN Q=We are looking]
((BILL TELFORD/SMITH MTN. LAKE ASSOC.: WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN EPA EDICT THAT THIS IS A NO DISCHARGE ZONE THAT FORMALIZES FROM A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STANDPOINT SO IT IS IN FACT A CRIME TO DUMP INTO THE LAKE.))
[SUPER=01-Bill Telford/Smith Mtn. Lake Assoc.;]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=into the lake]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
The boat will be in storage until spring.
(------------)

[11Tech-Transfer]

If you want to transfer to Virginia Tech this spring, you'll have to wait.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg;]

The university is turning away all spring applicants because this year's freshman class was 10 percent larger than expected.
Tech had 430 more first year students than it planned ... even though officials say the schools is getting more selective.
And more students are STAYING, which means NO spots for transfers.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:20:00 - :17]
[IN Q=It's really all]
((LARRY HINCKER/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR: WE'VE ACCEPTED 2,000 MORE VIRGINIA STUDENT IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEAR WITHOUT HAVING ANY INCREASE IN FUNDS FROM THE STATE OF VIRGINIA. WE DID THAT AS A PRODUCTIVITY MEASURE. WE REACHED OUT TO THE STATE OF VIRGINIA. BUT WE REALLY ARE PACKED TO THE GILLS RIGHT NOW AND WE CANT ACCEPT ANY MORE STUDENTS UNTIL WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE REVENUE SITUATION.))
[SUPER=01-Larry Hincker/University Relations Director;]
[RUNS=:17]
[OUT Q=revenue situation.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

About 15 percent of Tech's students transfer from other colleges.
University officials say the applicant boom was caused partly by a rise in Virginia high school graduates.
(------------)

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
The plane that crashed in downtown Lexington last month fell more than three thousand feet in twenty seconds.
That's according to a report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The medical examiner says neither the pilot nor his passenger had alcohol or illegal drugs in their systems when they died.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
72 year old Juanita Clague from Harrisonburg was killed in an accident on Interstate 81 yesterday afternoon after she lost control of her car and hit a tractor trailer head on.
The driver of the tractor trailer was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital with head injuries that do not appear to be life threatening.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
The Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved nearly 1 billion dollars in funding for projects on interstate 81 and Routes 58 and 220.
The board will make a final decision on the plan October 19th and if it's approved it will go into effect November first.
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Shannon]
(Shannon mic hot)
(///////////////)
(Shannon ad lib weather)
(-------------)
[2-SHOT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]